Since my arrival - 23rd of April - i've been assigned to different tasks concerning environmental activities developed by EEG in Novi Sad. Some were projected by the organization others were my own ideas. 1) The first project consisted in a public questionnaire in the city of Novi Sad about environmental issues such as water quality, air pollution or recycling. Afterwards the data was analised and included in a press release to be printed in the International Day of Action for Climate:
"The climate as we know it, as our parents and grandparents told us no longer exists and it will never be the same again. Since the mid 80’s till today a lot of things changed in the way that we interact with the environment that surrounds us. We have been using – and abusing – our own natural resources to extreme limits and without having full knowledge of its impacts in the soft equilibrium of nature. Its consequences have came in floods, hurricanes that destroy cities, temperatures extremes, vanishing of species and have affected our day-to-day life. Nowadays people start to realize what scientists have been trying to tell us since long ago: our unsustainable behaviour has a price and we are all going to pay for it. Recently Jeffrey Kluger wrote that “Climate change is caused by a lot of things, and it will take a lot of people to fix it. There’s space for big thinkers, power players, those with deep pockets – and for the rest of us”. Its not only a warning but mainly a call for governments, private companies, NGO’s, universities and we all to understand the changes and act towards it. In order to have a better feeling of our own reality, a questionnaire was made in the streets of Novi Sad to get some feedback on environmental questions in our own city. Althought 82% of our sample showed to be concerned with the climate change and future perspectives only 18% were aware of Environmental Associations in Novi Sad and 62% declared to be willing to participate in any campaign or project connected with the environment. Suprisingly, about 80% of the people inquered were willing to pay an extra tax every month to support environmental projects/ investments and 78% take into some acount the environmental ideas of the parties before chosing a new government. The citizens of Novi Sad inquired focused the water quality and the air polution as two major problems in the city ranking more recycle bins (paper, glass and plastic) and a new eco-bus fleet as the main priorities for the city.Climate change is real and a problem that we all need to face because it will affect the way we and our children will live in the years to come. Human race needs to adapt and to innovate in order to be more efficient in its use of resources for the satisfaction of their needs."
Time Magazine: pag 42, April 9 2007 Public questionnaire (10th in 11th of May) : 300 observations with a confidence level of 0,5%. |
